An extinct giant elk of the Pleistocene ('giant deer'), whose best-known species M. giganteus was abundant in Ireland, Europe, and western Asia. It had the largest antlers of any deer known - some 13 feet (4 m) across. Its remains are sometimes found in Palaeolithic assemblages and there are rare depictions in cave art. It became generally extinct in c 10,500 BP, though some may have survived to 700-500 BC.